Computer Aided Assessment in Modern Academia
Computer Based Text Analysis (CBTA) has been referred to as many things including: Automated Essay Scoring (AES), Automated Essay Grading (AEG), and Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE). Computer Assisted text analysis is the use of computers to aide the interpretation of electronic text (Sinclair & Rockwell, 2012). The programs scan the data and provide results based on pre-assigned content and words.
Previous literature has used these terms interchangeably, but they all refer to the same thing - the use of computers in grading text based assignments (Aken, 2017). There are two types of assessment models when discussing CBTA, Text in Isolation (TII) or Corpus Based Analysis (CBA). These two models differ in how they approach analyzing text (Aken, 2017). Both of these approaches have their unique benefits.
Text in Isolation (TII) analysis does not require a large body of previously human graded assignments based on specific prompts. The use of algorithms to find certain qualities that are correlated to high scoring essays allows for more efficient grading based on previous scores. The TII program looks for "items" that are consistent with higher scoring essays, such as unique words, length of essay, and the use of pronouns (Aken, 2017). However, Corpus Bases Assessments approach the grading process differently.
Corpus Based Assessments require a larger body of graded texts compared to TTI analysis, on which to compare the text being analyzed. CPA programs tend to grade text based assignments relative to other grades given on previous assignments. Therefore, higher grades are given to an assignment if it matches other higher scoring assignments, and lower grades are given if they match previously lower scoring assignments.
Furthermore, CBA grading leads to a high cost of creating new prompts and additional human grading to create a baseline (Aken, 2017). Both of these approaches offer an alternative to human grading but cannot fully replace the process altogether. Either process can only do what they have been programmed to do, but lack the human-ness of grading and truly understanding what the assignment is trying to convey.
Understanding how each of these approaches work will be beneficial taking advantage of massive amounts of computing power. Access to this computing power in the grading process will provide students quicker feedback, allow instructors more time for developing robust curriculum, and hopefully, higher rates of student success.
As for deterring cheating, I believe that students will find a way if there really want to. To full prevent cheating is a ongoing endeavor. There are various techniques that can be used to try and keep students from cheating including limiting the time allowed to complete an assessment, using questions are scenarios that come directly from class discussions or lectures, rather than the text, and questions that are not easily looked up online (Ferrel, 2015). I would also argue that well designed classes that prepare students for any assessment can lessen the stress and anxiety that students may feel.
Future Refence:
Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2016, April). Big Data comes to school: Implications for learning, assessment, and ... Retrieved March 8, 2023, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2332858416641907
Works Referenced:
Aken, A. (2017, October 9). An evaluation of assessment-oriented computer-based text analysis paradigms. Higher Education Research. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/paperinfo?journalid=296&doi=10.11648%2Fj.her.20170204.12
Sinclair, S., & Rockwell, G. (2012, January 1). 10. teaching Computer-Assisted Text Analysis: Approaches to learning New Methodologies. Digital Humanities Pedagogy - 10. Teaching Computer-Assisted Text Analysis: Approaches to Learning New Methodologies. Retrieved March 7, 2023, from https://books.openedition.org/obp/1644?lang=en
Farrell, M. (2015, March 19). Want to stop cheating on online quizzes? ....... let them cheat! OLC. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/want-stop-cheating-online-quizzes-let-cheat/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw2cWgBhDYARIsALggUhqDl0hhBDoNwnAolp7t4pMk3XGQLo2Vp5maZOPhK6tMt8ONz8tL65saAmVzEALw_wcB
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